248 



RECREATION, 



A reader of Recreation inquired whe- 

 ther hay-fever prevailed in South Dakota, 

 whether an eastern man could not escape 

 it by going there, and at the same time 

 have some fun shooting chickens. I made 

 some inquiries among my South Dakota 

 subscribers and quote from their letters as 

 follows: 



Dr. E. J. Miller. Marion Junction, says: 



I know all about the chicken shooting 

 here, and it may be supposed I should about 

 hay-fever, but I have never seen that kind 

 of game here but once; so I concluded to 

 go hay-fever hunting before answering your 

 letter, which I have done. My search has 

 extended to all parts of the State. My cor- 

 respondents have all reported. They say 

 they have seen but few cases of hay-fever in 

 the State; that the patients seemed to enjoy 

 the surroundings and the climate, and that 

 after a while they went back fat and 

 happy. As all know, that kind of game 

 abounds where there is lots of pollen float- 

 ing in the air; yet, while we are but 1452 

 feet above the sea, we find very few of the 

 13 plants which grow in hay-fever countries, 

 owing to the dryness of the air here. If I 

 were East, had hay-fever, and were the 

 owner of a good American-made gun, and 

 two or three good dogs, I would pack niy 

 grip, have my wife pack hers, buy her a 

 gun, and we would come to South Dakota, 

 and hunt chickens. True, chickens have not 

 been as plenty this year as in the past, 

 but it has been very dry; yet there are 

 chickens here, good country to hunt, and 

 people who try to make it pleasant for all 

 comers. Taking the Chicago, Milwaukee & 

 St. Paul Railway out of Chicago will bring 

 them into the best part of the State and the 

 best chicken country. 



Dr. O. O. Sawyer, Dell Rapids, S. D,. 

 writes: 



Our location does not offer immunity 

 from hay-fever, as we' have a few cases 

 which have developed here. Asthma seems 

 to be benefited by our high and dry atmos- 

 phere, as I have had a number of those 

 cases which have come from the Middle and 

 Eastern States, and all show great improve- 

 ment both in the duration and severity of 

 the asthmatic attacks. But they came to 

 stay on account of their affliction. As to the 

 kindred disease, hay-fever, I have had very 

 little experience with patients who have 

 come out here during the two months in 

 which they usually suffer at home; so can- 

 not speak with any surety that they might 

 find relief. Our conditions are such that I 

 should not expect any great improvement, 

 as the months of August and September- are 

 usually dry and windy, with the pollen of 

 weeds and grasses ripened to the extent of 

 being more irritating than they would be 

 perhaps in a damper ciimate. Our chicken 

 shooting for the last 3 years has been what 



we call very poor, on account of laxity 

 in enforcing the law, both as to shooting 

 out of season, and as to trapping the birds 

 during the winter. We are looking up the 

 game laws and expect at the next session of 

 the legislature to pass a more stringent one 

 with a provision for game wardens, so 

 there will be some one in every community 

 who will make it his business to enforce the 

 laws. When we do that there is no reason 

 why our prairies should not again be the best 

 hunting grounds in the northwest. I enjoy 

 your magazine very much, and wish it came 

 oftener. 



Dr. W. O. Robinson, Parker, S. D., says: 

 I used to be subject to hay-fever in New 

 York and came West partly to escape it. 

 For the first five years I found perfect im- 

 munity, but I have worn out the climate and 

 am now subject to the disease every year. 

 Probably a new-comer would find relief. 



Our chicken shooting, I regret to say, has 

 been ruined through trapping for shipment, 

 in winter. Thousands of the birds were 

 shipped during the winter of 'g3-'94, and the 

 effects are too sadly apparent now and will 

 be for years to come. 



If other physicians can give information 

 as to where hay fever patients can go to es- 

 cape the dreaded disease and at the same 

 time have good shooting or fishing, I should 

 be glad to hear from them, for there are 

 thousands of people in the East who an- 

 nually suffer from this malady. 



TWO HUNDRED MILES UNDER 



GROUND. 



The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Com- 

 pany has just issued an interesting little 

 brochure of Mammoth Cave, handsomely 

 printed and illustrated. The text is by Dr. 

 R. Ellsworth Call, a gentleman of scientific 

 .attainments, and the illustrations are repro- 

 ductions of photographs taken by flash light. 

 Ten cents in stamps or silver, sent to Emory 

 Johnson, Gen'l Advertising Agent, Louis- 

 ville, Ky., will secure a copy. Mention 

 Recreation. 



FOR SALE : A large Water Spaniel, four 

 years old ; splendid retriever on land or 

 water : quiet, gentle disposition ; good watch 

 dog. Will sell for $10 if taken at once. 

 John Sallman, Box 17, Shelby, Iowa. 



WANTED : The address of someone 

 who can supply wild turkeys or their eggs 

 for breeding purposes. 



C. L. F., care Recreation. 



A carrier pigeon was killed at Glen Cove, 

 L. L, a few days ago. Its ring was num- 

 bered 18,913. 



It will pay you to travel on the 4 P. m. 

 Limited to Boston via Boston & Albany. 

 New and elegant vestibuled cars throughout. 



